{"id":387,"date":"2020-09-08T21:59:05","date_gmt":"2020-09-09T02:59:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wokowner.com\/?p=387"},"modified":"2021-05-07T19:56:29","modified_gmt":"2021-05-08T00:56:29","slug":"best-carbon-steel-woks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wokowner.com\/best-carbon-steel-woks\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Carbon Steel Woks [Top 5 Woks for Great Meals]"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

It is well-known that a wok is used for Chinese cuisine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using the best carbon steel wok will help you use less oil (which is healthier) and cook meals to perfection due to the uniform distribution of oil over the wok\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, you don\u2019t need to spend a huge amount of money to get the best wok you can. There are some woks out there that are ridiculously expensive, but there are also some amazing bargains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this post, we outline which carbon steel woks<\/a> are the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Should I Use Carbon Steel? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Chinese chefs know what they’re doing and are known for their incredible dishes. When it comes to a versatile piece of cookware, the wok is king! Which material should you choose? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asian chefs prefer carbon steel over stainless steel or aluminum because they know their work won’t suffer in quality due to an inability to properly handle high temperatures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take advantage of the benefits that come with owning a carbon steel wok! They are not only durable but can also be used for deep frying, stir-frying, and other food preparations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Material<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As outlined above, this is an important aspect of any cookware you purchase. Stainless steel<\/a> is not great where you will be using high heat. Foods tend to get stuck to the surface, making stirring and cooking very difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, stainless steel is heavy; hence, steel-made woks are cumbersome to move around, so using them for cooking will make the process tiresome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method of Manufacture<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How your wok was made determines whether it is of good quality or not. Some of you may recall those older woks that were hammered<\/a> into shape. It may surprise you to know that these are actually some of the best woks around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basically, they are handmade steel pans that have been hammered into shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

During the process, the hammer leaves indents that mean you can stir your food without it spilling. Unfortunately for us, it is difficult to find these readily on the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some woks are stamped. These are made up of thin sheets of carbon steel. The sheets are left entirely smooth and are molded into circular shapes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main disadvantage of this is that stirred food has nothing that can hold it in place, and so it will spill. They are very cheap and available readily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spun woks are made using a lathe. The lathe patterns the surface much like those you can see on hammered woks, so they are great when stirring food. However, they are more expensive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shape of Your Wok<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The shape is key to your wok\u2019s function. It determines how your wok holds on a stovetop. The wok should be able to stand on your stove but should have a large enough surface area to hold more food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, consideration should be given to the type of stovetop you have. You need something that is compatible with your gas or electric stove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you do want a relatively flat bottom, you will still need to give consideration as to depth. We found that a depth of 4 inches was ideal, alongside a 5-inch flat bottom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[amalinkspro type=”showcase” asin=”B0836FPMRH” apilink=”https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B0836FPMRH?tag=wokowner-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1″ associate-id=”” new-window=”1″ addtocart=”0″ nofollow=”1″ sc-id=”4″ imgs=”LargeImage” link-imgs=”false” stack-imgs=”false” specs=”Our woks and pans were chosen and filmed by A Bite of China. It helps us getting more attention but also more and more low-quality counterfeits flooding the market.~~~Every wok has been through 12 processes, 36,000 times of hand-hammering. You can see all the hammer prints but hardly feel them. The hammered surface absorb less oil than ordinary woks.~~~It is nonstick because iron is reactive and will form a protective layer of iron oxide during use. Its color will change during use when forming the protection layer until it becomes black. Please do not compare to your nonstick wok, it is recommended to use big fire high heat to preheat the wok before adding oil and ingredients. It conducts heat faster than coated nonstick woks so that it can lock the juice and nutrition inside the food.~~~Flat bottom, both induction and gas stove suitable. It is an iron wok that can be passed on for generations. It has nothing but iron.~~~It has been seasoned and you only need to wash it when you receive it. Iron gets rusted in water, so please dry it after use. Wipe a layer of oil over the cooking surface if you do not want to use it for a while. Dishwasher not safe.” btn-color=”#ff9900″ btn-text=”Buy on Amazon” alignment=”alignnone” hide-prime=”0″ hide-image=”0″ hide-price=”0″ hide-button=”0″]ZhenSanHuan HandHammered Iron Wok Flat Bottom Induction Suitable (32cm IronHandle with Help)[\/amalinkspro]<\/div>\n\n\n\n

This shape allows you to easily flip your food and still sits comfortably on the stove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Handle<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The handle is critical while you are cooking. You will be flipping your food multiple times and need to hold on to something sturdy on the pan when you do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Longer handles are usually found on modern flat woks. They also have a smaller helper handle at the other end. This is similar to a skillet. The more traditional ones will have two steel handles to the side. We found that longer handles are much easier to work with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best 5 Carbon Steel Wok 201\u200b9<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

#1 Classic Series: Joyce Chen 21-9978 <\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
[amalinkspro type=”showcase” asin=”B002AQSWMU” apilink=”https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B002AQSWMU?tag=wokowner-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1″ associate-id=”” new-window=”1″ addtocart=”0″ nofollow=”1″ sc-id=”4″ imgs=”LargeImage” link-imgs=”false” stack-imgs=”false” specs=”1 5 mm gauge Carbon Steel body~~~Natural Carbon Steel~~~14 inch diameter Wok~~~Birch wood handles~~~Use on gas electric or induction stovetops” btn-color=”#ff9900″ btn-text=”Buy on Amazon” alignment=”alignnone” hide-prime=”0″ hide-image=”0″ hide-price=”0″ hide-button=”0″]Joyce Chen Carbon Steel Wok, 14-Inch, Black[\/amalinkspro]<\/div>\n\n\n\n

This lovely Joyce Chen wok has a diameter of 14 inches and comes with a 25-year warranty, which shows how confident the manufacturers are with this product. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The surface of the wok is smooth, scratch-free, and handles very well. Made of carbon steel, the interior of this product is non-stick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has a relatively thick wall at 1.5mm. It has a steel body and birch wood handles. These handles make it easy to pick up and flip. There is a large handle on one side, and a smaller \u201chelper\u201d handle directly opposite it. So this is another reason why it is ideal for flipping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wok is flat at the bottom. This means that you can use this on electric, gas, and induction cookers. While it is quite smooth, the curved sides stop food spilling out of it when you flip or turn it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like with most kitchen cookware, the wok has an oil coating on it when it arrives. This has been applied to prevent any rust from forming during transit and storage. This coating needs to be scrubbed off with soap and water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After that, avoid using soap to clean the wok as this will strip the wok of its qualities. To clean, just use warm water and a damp cloth. Seasoning<\/a> will also help to keep it in great shape. The Joyce Chen wok will season the same as the Helen Chen wok<\/em>. Additionally, this will retain the non-stick feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n